The field of the invention generally relates to a medical testing system, and more particularly, to a medical testing system with an illuminating component.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Heart disease is any condition that causes your heart to malfunction. When the words “heart disease” are used generically, it usually refers to coronary heart disease which leads to heart attacks and angina, ultimately caused by atherosclerosis. But there are a wide range of other diseases of the heart such as congestive heart failure, valvular heart disease, diseases of the heart valves, cardiac arrhythmias, i.e., irregular heartbeats, diseases of the pericardium (sac around the heart), diseases of the myocardium (heart muscle), endocarditis (infection of a heart valve), and congenital heart disease, i.e., birth defects of the heart. There are a number of tools that are available to a physician to help monitor and diagnose malfunctions of the heart. They include history and physical examinations, chest x-ray, blood tests, echocardiograms, cardiac catheterizations, electrocardiograms, and EKG stress tests.
An electrocardiogram (“EKG” or “ECG”) for example records the electrical activity of the heart at rest. For an EKG measurement, electrodes are usually placed on the arms, legs and chest of a patient. These electrodes are connected by wires to an EKG machine. A twelve lead EKG is typically used which generates twelve different tracings or waveforms. Each waveform provides a view of the heart from a different angle. These waveforms are stored in memory and if a monitor is used, the waveforms are displayed. In addition, the waveforms may be recorded on paper by a thermal writer or any other conventional writer. A paper roller is driven by a motor that feeds the paper across a heated printer head. The physician may view and analyze the waveforms on the paper which moves across a work surface of the EKG machine. A physician may be able to determine the location of a heart attack based on the EKG lead involved. Then, based on his/her knowledge of anatomy, the physician may be able to determine which artery is blocked. The EKG gives the physician information about heart rate and rhythm, heart blood supply sufficiency, heart attack, heart enlargement, inflammation around the heart, drug effects, and electrolytes on the heart.
An EKG stress test is another commonly used procedure to evaluate coronary artery disease. It uses a similar EKG machine as described above with electrodes appropriately positioned on a patient to measure the electrical activity of the heart. However, these measurements are taken when the heart is exercised, i.e., “under stress.” EKG stress tests are useful because exercise can reveal abnormalities that were not detected during an EKG of the heart at rest. In this procedure, a person's EKG is initially monitored at rest and then monitored while walking on a treadmill or pedaling a bicycle. The exercise is gradually increased until a target heart rate is reached. If severe EKG changes, chest pain, severe shortness of breath, blood pressure changes or cardiac arrhythmias occur, then the physician may stop the stress test. The EKG stress test may uncover problems with the heart rhythm or blood supply to the heart or may provide valuable planning cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack or heart surgery.
An echocardiogram (“echo”) is yet another commonly used procedure to evaluate coronary heart disease. The echo uses an ultrasonic beam to view the heart in motion. In this procedure, an ultrasonic transducer, similar in appearance to a microphone, transmits and receives ultrasonic waves. The transducer is placed on the chest wall and maneuvered to view different portions of the heart on a monitor. In order to best view the monitor, stress echo tests are performed with the room lights dimmed and the sunlight suppressed. The echo is used to evaluate the presence of several abnormalities of the heart including (1) abnormal fluid collection in the pericardium, (2) valve obstruction or leaks, (3) chamber size, thickness of heart wall, as well as other problems.
In some instances, the EKG and echo stress test procedures are conducted separately at different locations. There is, however, a growing trend among hospitals and health care providers to use an EKG stress testing system in conjunction with an echo stress testing system at the same location. In a typical evaluation at a stress laboratory, a patient would first undergo an EKG stress test. Immediately following, usually within 10 seconds, but before the patient's heart returns to normal, the patient would quickly move to a resting bed to receive an echo stress test by an echo technician. During this time, the physician continues to evaluate the EKG waveforms which appear on the paper along the work surface of the EKG machine. Because an echo stress procedure is usually performed in the darkness, the physician is unable to view, analyze and make appropriate notes on the paper relative to the waveforms with the signals received from the electrodes. If or when the physician is able to complete his analysis of the EKG waveforms, he/she is unable to manipulate the keypads to turn the thermal writer off or control any of the other functions of the EKG machine. In sum, the physician is severely disadvantaged because of the darkness.